The Mirror World
by Clarketavia
Summary: The Earth is about to die and city they built on the moon is about to be radiated. Everyone in this city needs to go into cryo sleep for 100 years to survive the radiation, but they Earth will be gone by then.


Running… from what, I don't know… but I'm running. A tsunami of clouds barrel in. Cameras stalk the shadows of a lonely mirror, but nothing was there. Our moon spirals around our creator, capturing the essence of the once loved Earth. Patrols search for life. Birds flee as the radiation draws near and we prepare to sleep for another 100 years before civilisation could be re-established. Rockets spew from the earth and arrive at our borders for the annual check in before the long sleep. The city sounds the alarm, lights stream upwards and sky retreats to a dark abyss. I look out from Talltops at our broken city. What now?

The Clansin Towers loom in the background, still and lifeless. Silence creeps though every corner of the city but I can hear the cries of children never having the chance of seeing Earth again. Our group is the first to arrive at the Chrono labs, our bags empty, only carrying the regrets of those who spent life not taking risks and enjoying what was left. They instruct us to put our chrono safe clothing on and find our capsules. More groups cramp in as we prepare for the long sleep. It's time to enter our desired sleep time. Some put in less than 100 years so they die watching Earth be destroyed rather than waking up to darkness. I, on the other hand, put in exactly 100 years. I chose to sleep from the present year – 2732 to 100 years in the future – 2832.

We all put one object into our chrono capsules so that when we dream, if we dream, we can dream about that object and the memories it held. For me, I put a picture of my sister. She died many years ago but before she did, she was my best friend. If I had another choice, I would give my life for her, but that's not how things work.

We can see drones heading into the city searching for anyone unwilling to go to sleep, scared of what Clansin would be like after the sleep and had gone crazy thinking about it. The sirens stopped, the city went black and the drones retreated back to the chrono labs. Now, we had to make a big decision. Due to the fact that these capsules had never been tested, someone had to stay and close everyone's capsules and not go to sleep. The worst part is _we_ had to choose that person. No one volunteered so the leaders chose. They chose me. Out of everyone, they chose me.

I begin to close everyone's capsules one-by-one until the last one left open is my own. Tears stream down my face as the realisation kicks in; I'm never going to see anybody ever again. I'm going to be alone for 100 years. I think about what I could do to pass the time. I could write a journal, documenting what life is like alone on a radiated moon with low food supply, thousands of sleeping people, and a pencil and pad to write with.

_Day 1 on this radiation filled place. It's quiet. I don't know what to do and I'm really hungry. The scientist and engineers who created the chrono capsules didn't plan for someone to live for many years without going crazy from being alone so they didn't leave a lifetime supply of food. I've been rationing food and water and it's really getting into my head._

_Day 114 on this radiation filled place. It's still quiet. I managed to use some lab equipment and create a helmet that allows me to go outside for a few minutes without being killed by radiation. I'm too scared to actually use it so I don't know if it works. I hope it does. I discovered a blob living under the lab bench. He doesn't speak but he's cool to look at._

_Day 423 on this radiation filled place. It's less quiet with the voices in my head talking to me but it's still lonely. My food supply is running low. Too low. I don't know if will make it through this next year. I knew I wouldn't live another 100 years but the thought of not making it through 2 keeps me awake at night._

_Day 721 on this radiation filled place. I'm scared. My food supply has depleted completely. My water may last a day or 2 but without food, it's not worth it. I was right. The helmet did allow me to go out for a few minutes but now it's time to go out without the helmet. Goodbye world. You were too great for anyone to have noticed you. If you're reading this after the long sleep, know that I did it for you and for Clansin but most importantly, I did it for my sister._

The long sleep is over and civilisation is being rebuilt. A few days ago, I stumbled upon a diary written by our hero. If it wasn't for him, none of us would be here. Yes, someone else could have done it but the person who did was him, Ace Clansin. I'm Robert, the first person to wake from the sleep. The Earth isn't coming back and without the Earth, soon Clansin will cease to exist. Living on a rotating moon takes time to prepare and equipment that the Earth supplied, so without it… we won't last more than a few generations.

We choose our leaders today. We can choose between the Kion, Almino, and Ni parties. These three were nominated by Ace himself before he died. They take the stage, plead their case and the voting begins. I vote for Kion as he has promises to find a new Earth. These leaders will govern Clansin and continue to do what we were promised all those years ago. The Almino party was chosen despite the amount of people who threatened to leave Clansin if they were chosen.

Many months have passed and Clansin is flourishing with trees being replanted and schools being rebuilt. The rusted buildings have been cleaned and the city is shining. A quiet voice calls my name. I turn to see my father. He has finally woken up. The people who put more than 100 years into their capsule time have only just woken up. I want to ask him what Chrono sleep was like for him but the words can't seem to escape my mouth. Together, we walk towards the watching towers. This is where the patrols would be made but now it's where you would get jobs and it's being used as a rehabilitation centre for those who experienced pain or nightmares during the sleep.

Both of us are hoping to find jobs somewhere within the crops. My father has ideas of how to make the crops grow without the Earths supplies. We walk in, fill in the form, and notice others applying for the same jobs as us. No one wants to work in city since the Almino party came into power. They have patrols watching our every move. Waiting, watching, listening. Some have thought of leaving Clansin but none are brave enough to journey passed the Great Mountains.

We both got jobs in the crops, on either side of the valley. The crops are growing quickly and a new home is being built in the valley to store the unnecessary crops before they burn them. I can't believe this. The world could end soon and we are running out of supplies to grow crops and they are burning crops they don't want. We need all the food we can get.

"Lights out" the patrolman says, shutting every window in our home.

A single candle illuminates the, now, dark room.

"So… how'd you sleep?" my father asks nervously.

I want to be honest and tell him that I dreamt about him and mother but I can't bear to see my father cry again. Mother hasn't woken up yet. She accidently put 110 years instead of 100, so we have to wait 9 more years until we can see her again.

I'm not going answer him. I just can't. We both just sit there until one of us decides to go to sleep.

The ground shakes every day at exactly 17 o'clock in the morning, infuriating the sleeping city and all its inhabitants.

I need to find a way to stop this madness, but what can I do? It's risky, but I can look for him. The only person to have ever physically created immortality. He is the only person to have lived on Earth before we were created and the only person who can tell me how to save Clansin.


End file.
